• Still sillier seasons to come. Press release from Illinois: "As part of the new Illini marketing campaign, the University of Illinois has begun placing University of Illinois billboards in popular areas around the state. The goal is to further the new branding initiative, with the slogan “ILLINOIS. OUR STATE. OUR TEAM.” in order to foster a sense of state pride among Illinois students, fans and alumni." Illinois finished the 2012 season 2-10; Northwestern went 9-3; Northern Illinois is 12-1 and bound for the Orange Bowl. We are pretty excited to see these billboards.

• Roster blotter. Cal receiver Keenan Allen announced on Wednesday his intent to forgo his senior season in favor of entering the NFL draft. This bums us out a little when coupled with the news of Sonny Dykes' hiring as Cal's new head coach a few hours later.